Deceit
by Saayu-chan
Summary: Today, the great Uchiha Sasuke returned to Konoha. Now, he ran as fast as he could pump the heady amounts of chakra through his muscles, from the very person he claimed to care nothing about. *Spoiler Warnings*
1. Of Emotions

Disclaimer: Not my characters. Written after Chapter 402. Spoilerific- You've been warned.

Deceit

Chapter One  
Deceit of Emotions

-

-

"You're going back now?"

"Yes, it's time."

-

-

Sakura was working the sixteenth hour of her shift today. It was a busy day. A huge Akatsuki infiltration mission had failed miserably. So many, too many, ninja had been hurt.

Sakura walked briskly through the busy, yet silent halls of the hospital. She had another patient. She smoothed out the scruples of her white hospital cloak. She came to the door of her patient- a routine check-up. She rapped on the door twice, first softly then gruff. She stepped in and felt the hot air of the room rush out. The sudden heat made her uncomfortable; she pulled the cloak off and hung it over her arm. While she did all this she walked swiftly to the edge of the bed- her movements practiced, she'd done this so many times it was routine.

She still hadn't looked at the patient- they were quite silent, and very still. She pulled up the chart from its position on the end of the bed.

She skimmed through the past health issues, and past reasons for admission.

"Well, you seem to be quite the healthy man Mr.…" She paused to look up at the name. Her face froze for a second, she hadn't been expecting that- _him._ She put her cheery smile back on- seemingly unfazed by the surprise.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke smirked; he was quite pleased with himself. He had expected her to freak out and try to jump his bones the moment she's seen him- but this turn of events was slightly more entertaining. Here she was, pretending to be completely unaffected by his sudden reappearance.

Sakura stepped toward the door and hung her coat up on a hook. She turned and walked calmly to her patient. She closed her eyes and pushed energy to her hand- her chest felt hollow for a few seconds as the chakra was drawn away.

She lifted her hand- still as stone and incased in serene green chakra. She ran it along the contour of Sasuke's body. She looked for broken bones, cuts, bruises, anything out of the ordinary. She kept hopelessly focused on this so she wouldn't have to think about the man before her. He had been gone six years. He was a missing-nin; he was an S-rank criminal. He left her limp, rain-soaked body on a bench with an unrequited confession of love left on her lips.

-

"_Just go home and go to sleep." Sasuke began to saunter past her, either apathetic or unaware of her newly flowing tears. Sakura figured this was the end, she may never see him again- may as well lay it all on the table, right._

"_Why won't you say anything to me? Why do you always keep so quiet? You never say a single word to me…"_

"_I told you: I don't need your help. Don't try to look after me…"_

_The tears dried slowly in the brisk night. The faint traces of a smile ghosted across her face. "No matter what, you just always hate me don't you… you remember, don't you?"_

_Sasuke stopped but didn't turn around. The only acknowledgement he gave that he was listening was his halt. She talked about the first time they had been alone together in the very same spot- when their team had first been assembled. - "You're annoying." -_

"_I don't remember that." Sasuke said flatly._

"_I guess it was a long time ago, but that was when it all started. Even though it was tough at times, even through everything…I still enjoyed it."_

_Sasuke's face twitched at this._

"_I know all about your past, Sasuke. Even if you do get revenge, it won't bring anyone happiness… not even you, Sasuke… nor me."_

"_I already know…" He spoke, Sakura hadn't expected him to respond._

_He told her he had known that he was different from his team, from the others. He had to follow a different path then them. Sakura's eyes formed more tears that took the same trails down her cheeks as the previous ones._

"_I'll never be like you and Naruto."_

_Sakura knew he was set on leaving now. She cried out. "Do you really want to go back to being alone? You told me how painful it was to be alone! Right now I feel your pain! …I have friends and family, but…if you were to leave…to me…I would be just as alone as you…"_

"_From here on out, we all begin new paths." He was unmoved by her speech. She couldn't let him leave. She had to say it… now._

"_I…I love you with all my heart! If you stay with me…there will be no regrets…because everyday we'd do something fun, we'd be happy…I swear! I would do anything for you! Please just stay with me…" She tore out her heart- beating with promises of her undying love and affection. She presented it on a silver platter for him, showing it was already his all along. Anything to get him to stay. She even offered to go with him._

_She looked up through glistening saltwater- everything was blurred now. She couldn't stop these tears. She heard Sasuke give and indignant huff, "You really are," he began, turning to face her now. His smirk stung her._

'_Please don't say it.'_

"_Annoying."_

_She felt like she'd been struck across the face. Where had her heart gone, now? She'd given it to him, but he didn't want it's burden- so where was it now. The ache of its absence was excruciating. Sakura saw him turn and begin to move forward again._

"_Don't leave! I'll scream if you do!"_

_Then he was gone. A cold wind brushed across her back, then hot breath brushed across her neck. The temperature change gave her goosebumps._

"_Sakura…thank you." She felt him touch her neck and then she blacked out. She woke on the bench, face dried with tears. Puffy, blotchy, nose swollen with snot. Surely she wasn't attractive, now. It didn't matter. Her face hung- he had left. She had failed again._

-

Sakura felt her eye refocus as she drifted back from the memory. Her heart ached again, it had been gone for so long and here was the one who'd lost it. She was using chakra to hold back the tears, now. She wouldn't cry for him again.

"Sasuke…" She sighed as she stood away from him. She turned around and grabbed her cloak off the hook.

"Sakura?" He was confused now. She was trying to ignore his presence and then all of the sudden as she'd finished examining him her face looked so pained. He wondered what it was.

"…you shouldn't have left. You got your revenge, I'm sure?" Sasuke nodded slowly, questioningly. "Are you happy?"

She didn't even have to turn around to know his eyes had glazed over. He was thinking- what about she had no idea, but it was something painful.

She nodded. "Thought so." She put the coat on in one swift movement and walked to the door. As she held it open she spoke monotonously "Mr. Uchiha, you're perfectly healthy. You can leave whenever you're ready." The door clicked shut seconds after she uttered her last word.

The Uchiha prodigy quickly filled with anger. "You don't know anything! You could never know my pains!" He shouted as loud as he could and punched the bed he sat on. He felt it bend under the pressure. He stood and left the room quickly.

"She had no right to assume she knew my pain- to assume I was wrong to want revenge." He was steaming. He paused at the side of the hallway, breathing heavily. With one last deep breath he calmed himself. After he was sure his pulse was normal, he proceeded toward the exit.

At the front desk, he smirked as he saw the door. His reaction had been immature and stupid. "I don't care about her. I never did and I never will."

A small child giggled loudly and Sasuke turned to glance and met with a set of emerald eyes. She was smiling- playing with a child.

He turned quickly and sprinted out the door.

Today, the great Uchiha Sasuke returned to Konoha. Now, Sasuke ran as fast as he could pump heady amounts of chakra through his muscles, from the very person he claimed to care nothing about.

-**"Those with the capacity to hate passionately, have the same capabilities of love."**-


	2. Of Intentions

Disclaimer: Still not my characters. This story will be tragic- tragic romance is always my favorite. Sorry.

Deceit

Chapter Two  
Deceit of Intentions

-

-

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked timidly as she stepped into the restaurant and spotted the familiar crop of hair. "Huh. I thought you'd be sent to interrogation, or at the very least restricted to ANBU surveillance. How stange to see you here." She shook her head absently and took up the seat next to him. She ran a hand through her hair then leaned forward onto her elbows and ordered a water.

"Sakura...why are you here? Why do you continue to interfere, I thought I'd made myself clear previously." Sasuke was looking away from her, staring quite intently at the wall. Sakura felt a familiar sting at the comment, but let it slide.

"Why did you request me to do your physical examination, Sasuke?"

She watched him quietly, his head didn't turn but his shoulders visibly tensed.

"I did no such-"

"Don't _lie _Sasuke-_kun_, it's so unbecoming of a young man such as yourself. I saw the entry forms you filled out when you entered the village. You specifically requested me for any and all medical procedures."

He grumbled a few choice words under his breath then spoke again.

"How did you gain access to those files, they-"

"I'm Tsunade's apprentice. She's a drunkard and if it weren't for Shizune, I'd be running all of Konoha. After Jiraiya's death she's been more depressed than ever- and thus she's been drinking more than ever, as well. I don't think she's spent a moment sober since. Shizune deals with most of the work- it wasn't hard to get my hands on your _precious_ file. She's so easily flattered."

Sasuke grunted angrily and turned to stare at the wall once more. Sakura huffed then took a few sips from her ice water.

"Sasuke, you haven't changed at all. You're just as narcissistic and stolid as ever. I'd assume you still want to revive the clan, as well? You're predictable."

He snorted at the comment.

"As if you aren't, Haruno? I thought you'd have attempted to rape me in that little hospital room once you saw me, but pretending I didn't exist was just as trite."

Sakura turned her gaze to the wall like Sasuke had done. It seemed she was suddenly aware of how enticingly captivating it was. She and Sasuke sat for several minutes in silence.

Sakura contemplated her situation. She hadn't pictured it going this way. As many times as she'd dreamt of this day, she hadn't seen it going this way. She thought he would confess that he'd loved her all along. That he left to protect the village. It didn't seem to be going that way.

But it certainly wasn't going down the other route. She'd figured that by the time he came back, she'd already have someone else and she could just ignore Sasuke. It didn't seem that way.

Even though it wasn't the way she dreamed she was still hopeful. The current status was unacceptable. They had been friends- maybe not that, but they had been teammates. Now they couldn't speak to one another without sarcasm or an insult. There was an uncomfortable tension. It was unsettling.

She wanted to repair this somehow, to start it over and be more friendly. She began contemplating how to accomplish this.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had his eyebrows drawn together tightly, he had to decide his plan of action quickly or his complex chess game would be short-lived.

He plotted fast, thinking five steps ahead of each move, weighing each outcome. He couldn't leave it this way, she was a valuable piece in this game. Finally he smirked, but his face became cold stone once more only seconds later.

"Sakura, why don't we take a walk?"

Just what she wanted to hear.

-

-

"Another bowl please, sir!"

"Naruto, that's your tenth bowl in the past _half-hour._ You can't be human, with an appetite like that."

Naruto puffed up into a pout and crossed his arms across his chest, much like a child not getting their way.

"Don't complain, old man. You know I'm your best customer."

"Sorry, I'm still cutting you off. Though, I'm sure I'll still see you tomorrow."

Naruto huffed and uncrossed his arms, knowing the old ramen chef was right. He stood from the stool and headed out of the shop, waving a kind goodbye to the people in the shop. He'd heard earlier today a group of old women gossiping. Normally he wouldn't pay any mind to that, but he heard something that peaked his interest.

-

_"Did you hear that Yamanaka girl was seen leaving the Nara's house at four in the morning? Through their boy's window, no less." The woman huffed. "She;s certainly bringing class to her family name."_

_"Oh my, that _is_ quite interesting-"_

_"Oh please, who cares about that? Yesterday morning I saw Uchiha Sasuke entering the village! He was willing, but the guards grabbed him up, quick."_

_"Now _that's_ news! Are you sure it was him?"_

_"Positive."_

_-_

Naruto shook his head. 'Sasuke-teme can't be back. He didn't want to come back. He wasn't supposed to come back.' Yet, subconsciously Naruto had begun to walk towards the Uchiha compound.

Most of it was still burned down- no one had bothered to rebuild it. The rest of it had been left deserted and untouched for five, six-odd years. It was eerie- a complete ghost town.

Naruto walked through the compound, shivering occasionally at the memories. Scorching flames, blood-curdling screams, the terror was apparent all throughout the village- yet no one did anything to stop it. No ninja took action- the common people seemed to be the only ones surprised. The only ones to care at all.

Naruto had always pondered at this when the thoughts came about, but it didn't make sense- he didn't have enough pieces to figure it out.

He came to a halt outside Sasuke's house. It was cleaner than he remembered. There wasn't an extensive sheet of dust covering everything. The whole house was much too quiet. He finally got to Sasuke's room.

The bed was made, the room was clean, and his clothes were untouched. But something was off and it made Naruto twitch.

'There.'

On the dresser, the framed picture of Team 7 was no longer overturned as it had been since Sasuke's departure. It was propped again. The glass was shattered- but it was face up again. Naruto closed his eyes slowly, but the serenity of the look was quickly destroyed as his eyebrows came crushing down. When he opened his eyes again his furious expression did not lift. His eyes blazed red and he was engulfed in his trademark fiery red chakra, but it slowly dimmed and he returned to normal.

"Sasuke! How _dare_ you! You'd better hope I don't find you're sorry ass! I won't let you get away alive."

With that Naruto bounded out of the open bedroom window and raced out of the Uchiha compound. The only trace he left behind was the scorch mark in the center of the room, caused by his sudden flare of deadly demonic chakra. The chakra that was constantly looming just under his skin- the very same that he intended to use to rip Sasuke limb from limb. Literally.

-

-

**-"The deadliest hatred is one born from a slaughtered friendship."-**


End file.
